Chasan building reconstruction complete, works on Proctor's slated for spring VIDEO

By Danielle Sanzone

Sunday, December 9, 2012

TROY -- The reconstruction of the Chasan building is complete, but the next step for revitalization in downtown Troy is work expected to start in the spring that will breathe new life into the office space adjacent to Proctor's Theatre, said officials from RPI, Columbia Development, BBL Construction, and a local architecture firm during a tour of the Chasan building.

A partnership between the college, Columbia and the city of Troy resulted in receiving a $4 million Restore New York grant, with $1.2 million for the 1850s brick Chasan building and the balance for the 1914 theater which once featured shows with entertainers like Bob Hope.

The project has also led to Columbia receiving a New York Historic Preservation award. This is the second such award given to an RPI building in the past few years, said Claude Rounds, vice president of administration for the university.

About $5.6 million was spent on refurbishing Chasan, said Joe Nicolla, president of Columbia Development. He estimated that about $100 million has been invested in the city of Troy by Columbia and BBL with other projects including the Hilton Garden Hotel on Hoosick Street, RPI's Blitman Residence Commons and the 60,000 square foot structure now partially housing SEFCU across the street from the hotel. Nicolla stated that about $38 million was invested in downtown Troy alone.

Chasan, at 405 Broadway, is owned by Columbia and used by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for their Rensselaer Institute Advancement team, which moved from the Hedley building in the space where City Hall is now located.

With 31,000 square feet and about 45 offices, the Greek Revival edifice accommodates 60 employees at the three-story site with room for expansion, said Tom Keaney, project executive with Columbia.

Chasan, a contributing building in the Central Troy Historic District that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, was acquired by RPI in 2002, along with nearby Proctor's, at the request of state and local officials. Since then, Rensselaer has invested nearly $1.5 million in the stabilization of Proctor's Theatre and stewardship of both buildings, officials said.

According to historical resources, the location of the Chasan Building has been occupied by an iron store house and office in the mid 1880s, by Public School #3 in the early 1900s, and by stores and a club room between the 1950s and the 1980s. The building was occupied by the Albany Saving Bank, a wine and liquor store, and Troy Uniform between 1980 and 1995.

Each of the main people involved with the reconstruction are actually RPI graduates ranging from 1976 to 1994. They include architect Kurt Woodward, Keaney, Nicolla, and Kevin Gleason from BBL.

It was just four years ago when the city said it received a $4 million grant to demolish the Proctor's Theatre, which closed in 1977. The Schenectady venue of the same name, which was also closed for a time, reopened in 1980 and $40 million in renovations occurred from 2004 to 2007, theatre officials said about the attraction which now sees about half of a million visitors annually.

Joe Medina, assistant vice president for Advancement Strategy, Services and Infrastructure, said the college employs love their new location. "We love being in the heart of the revitalized city," he continued. "The architecture is beautiful, at Chasan and at surrounding structures."

Work at Proctor's is anticipated to begin in the spring, once proper permits are obtained for work at the 21,000 square feet of office space. The eventual next phase will be at the 60,000 square foot theatre, said Nicolla.

Rounds said he was pleased with the outcome at Chasan. He foreshadowed, "Proctors will be next."